Surf City Garage - Classic Life

Unlike the price of gasoline around election time, the cost of restoring or customizing a classic vehicle will never go down. All one has to do to get a slap of reality is to obtain an estimate for chrome plating, or custom paint and they'll see we aren't just whistling Dixie.

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What all of this means to classic truck owners is now more than ever there is a vital need for automotive detailing supplies that not only excel in restorative abilities, but possess the properties to preserve as well. Beyond having to pay an arm and a leg to retain restoration, or customizing services there's the grim reality some of the core materials from the past are no longer available. It's sad but true, there are certain elements like particular yellow or red paint toners that aren't as vibrant or pure as they once were, and leaded metallic colors that cannot be matched exactly. The same holds true for chrome plating; there's no promise spending a fortune will guarantee one stands a chance of having their chrome look as good it did when new.

The ability to do exceptional detail work has always been a prerequisite for a top-notch restoration, and with the advent of the aforementioned issues it has become more important than ever. In upcoming editions of CCT we'll be doing some toe-to-toe comparisons of what the best manufacturers in the car wax business have to offer. In the meantime we thought our valued readers might enjoy seeing this private collection we stumbled onto during the course of research.

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The company name is Surf City Garage, and these folks came out of nowhere, and are really making a name for themselves fast. We haven't done any comparison testing with any of their products, but you can bet your favorite car wash bucket we will in the very near future. The aqua '58 Chevy big-window shortbed Stepside with the side-mount spare was bought brand-new by Tim Miller's grandfather. It's also the very first vehicle Tim restored, and consequently the first test mule for Surf City's line of products. The story goes that Tim wasn't happy with the detailing products that were on the market, so he developed, and introduced his own line. There's one thing for sure with Surf City and Mothers hailing from Huntington Beach, and along with Meguiar's in nearby Irvine. Orange County, California seems to be turning into the car wax capital of the world.